Sergio Almanza turned himself into the Albuquerque Police Department on Monday for the hit and run killing of 7-year-old Pronoy Bhattacharya in December near Tingley Beach after the boy’s family left the River of Lights. After identifying and locating the off-highway vehicle that struck and killed Bhattacharya, APD issued a warrant for Almanza’s arrest and called on Almanza to turn himself in.
“No one should have to bear the pain that the Bhattacharya family lives with every day. They lost their 7-year-old boy to a reckless driver, someone acting with no regard for human life,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “The cost of this willful disregard for the laws of our roads is immeasurable, and APD’s relentless pursuit of the offender has led us to a place where we can seek justice for Pronoy’s death. Albuquerque continues to hold the Bhattacharya family in our hearts.”
Through the course of the investigation, multiple forms of technology were used to identify the vehicle used in this tragic crash. Once it was uncovered that investigators were looking for a vehicle that did not have a license plate, the camera network synced to the Real-Time Crime Center was used to track off-road vehicles from San Mateo and Central all the way to Atrisco and Central area. Social media work from Crime Stoppers and the APD Digital Intelligence Team was also for extensive background on the offender and his associates and family members.